ways to lower your home humidity

Humidity can make it uncomfortable to stay indoors: you keep sweating inside your home, you may experience respiratory problems, you struggle to fall and stay asleep. And that’s not even the end of it.  When it’s humid and there’s a high level of moisture in the air, it’s also easy for mold, mildew, or fungus to thrive. But there are ways to lower your home humidity and get you comfortable again. 

What are Normal Humidity Levels?

According to Mayo Clinic, humidity in your home should be between 30- 50%, otherwise, it may cause comfort and health issues. 

To measure humidity, the amount of water vapor in the air, homeowners may use a hygrometer. When a lot of water vapor is present in the air, it means the humidity levels will be high.  It will also feel wet outside.

Factors Contributing to Your Home’s Humidity Levels

The surrounding climate and temperature directly affect your home’s humidity levels. However, there are sneaky ways moisture can build in your house, such as insulation, vapor retarder use, and more. Doing the laundry and taking a shower can also contribute to the humidity levels in your home.  You may also take a look at how your home is built and designed, how airtight it is, or if your home has leaks and cracks that need to be fixed.

Ways to Lower Your Home Humidity

An overly humid home affecting your comfort levels and posing potential health risks is an issue that needs to be tackled asap. 

As a homeowner, there are simple, easy ways to lower home humidity:

Use your AC

Your AC regulates humidity by absorbing moisture onto the evaporator coils. To do the work it needs to do, your AC has to be correctly sized for the job. However, it doesn’t dehumidify, per se, so it can’t cope if the humidity levels spike. 

Use a dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers efficiently reduce the humidity levels in your home, so you can breathe more easily and feel more comfortable. 

With cooler air and reduced moisture levels, there’s less stress on your AC, too, so you may not need to turn it on as often. 

Dehumidifiers also run quietly in the background, without disrupting your daily life. A whole-house dehumidifier augmenting the AC is a great investment if you have a serious humidity problem at home. 

Choose which plants to keep indoors 

Generally, plants undergo respiration and photosynthesis, releasing moisture back into the air and raising humidity levels. Moving live plants outside and keeping synthetic alternatives indoors will naturally dehumidify your home.

Some houseplants, however, absorb humidity. Peace lilies, Boston ferns, palms, and orchids are just some of the plants that are great at absorbing humidity.

Fix leaks and cracks 

Moisture can get into your home through a leaky pipe. Check for water marks on the walls, cracked pipes under your floorboards, or water stains on the ceiling.  Even small leaks may lead to bigger problems over time. 

We Can Make Your Home More Comfortable

Dealing with high home humidity levels? Your HVAC system may need an upgrade! We offer solutions to make your home more comfortable. If you want to schedule an appointment, it’s simple and easy to do so through our app or online!